Cheek Rest Assembly with Storage

ABSTRACT

A cheek rest assembly for mounting on a butt stock, including a cheek rest having a center portion and a pair of side portions, each side portion sloping downwardly and outwardly on opposite sides from the center portion, a pair of elongate storage compartments, each storage compartment being suspended from a lower end of one of the side portions and extending along at last a portion of the side portion, and at least one storage sleeve configured to be removably inserted into either of the storage compartments such that when the storage sleeve is fully inserted into the storage compartment, a watertight seal is formed to protect stored contents within the storage compartment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/432,005, filed on Jan. 12, 2011, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an attachment for a rifle stock that provides an enlarged and contoured cheek weld area, along with convenient storage compartments for accessories such as electrical batteries.

BACKGROUND

In the discussion of the background that follows, reference is made to certain structures and/or methods. However, the following references should not be construed as an admission that these structures and/or methods constitute prior art. Applicant expressly reserves the right to demonstrate that such structures and/or methods do not qualify as prior art.

The discussion in this background section and in the descriptions of the invention may use terms that correspond to the more common uses of the items being described, without intending to exclude other less common usage. For example, the term “rifle” may be used because the butt stocks are described in relation to their more common usage on tactical rifles, but there is no intent to exclude the use of the same butt stock on a smooth bore weapon or other types of firearm. Likewise, the butt stocks are described in relationship to the more common usage on a weapon with adjustable length extender/buffer tubes, without intending to exclude their use on a solid or fixed length gun stock.

With the above qualification in mind, the butt stock portion of most collapsible stock assemblies for the AR-series of tactical rifles (including military M16, M4, etc.) are small lightweight pieces designed primarily to engage along selected lengths of a buffer tube and provide a shoulder contact area to absorb recoil. Consequently, such stock assemblies typically have a relatively narrow comb that is designed to accommodate the shooter's cheek weld for consistent sight alignment. And while some butt stocks provide a limited storage compartment, the stock body is too small to include a storage compartment large enough to hold more than a few batteries.

SUMMARY

A check rest assembly with storage is described that enlarges the comb area over the stock sufficiently that riflemen of various sizes can find a comfortable and consistent check weld for the particular sights being used on the rifle. The cheek rest assembly also provides two elongate storage compartments that can be used to hold accessories including but not limited to batteries.

An embodiment of a cheek rest assembly is described for mounting on a butt stock, including a cheek rest having a center portion and a pair of side portions, each side portion sloping downwardly and outwardly on opposite sides from the center portion, a pair of elongate storage compartments, each storage compartment being suspended from a lower end of one of the side portions and extending along at last a portion of the side portion, and at least one storage sleeve configured to be removably inserted into either of the storage compartments such that when the storage sleeve is fully inserted into the storage compartment, a watertight seal is formed to protect stored contents within the storage compartment.

In another embodiment, a cheek rest assembly is described for mounting on a butt stock. The cheek rest assembly includes a cheek rest having a center portion and a pair of side portions, each side portion sloping downwardly and outwardly on opposite sides from the center portion and a pair of mounting blocks for securing the cheek rest to a butt stock, a mounting block extending inwardly and downwardly from each side portion of the cheek rest. A pair of hollow cylindrical storage compartments is provided, each storage compartment being suspended from a lower end of one of the side portions and extending along at last a portion of the side portion, each storage compartment have at least one open end. A pair of storage sleeves is provided for holding two or more batteries end-to-end while preventing the batteries from making electrical contact with one another, each storage sleeve being configured to be removably inserted into either of the storage compartments such that when the storage sleeve is fully inserted into the storage compartment, a watertight seal is formed to protect stored contents within the storage compartment.

In one variation, the cheek rest assembly of claim may also include a first anchor block configured to be secured to one of the mounting blocks in a position between one of the mounting blocks and the butt stock and a second anchor block configured to be secured to the other of the mounting blocks in a position between the other of the mounting blocks and the butt stock, wherein the first and second anchor blocks are configured to be secured to the butt stock.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description can be read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate like elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a cheek rest assembly with storage.

FIG. 1A is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a storage sleeve for use in a storage compartment of a cheek rest assembly with storage as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a butt stock on which is mounted a check rest assembly with storage as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is right side view of a cheek rest assembly with storage as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded end view of a cheek rest assembly with storage as in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of anchor blocks of a cheek rest assembly with storage as in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a check rest assembly with storage 10 is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3. The cheek rest assembly 10 includes a cheek rest 12 and a pair of anchor blocks 120, 140 for securing the cheek rest 12 to a butt stock. The cheek rest 12 fits over a traditional butt stock, as shown in FIG. 2, to provide a comb area that is wider, longer, and more outwardly sloped than the comb of the underlying butt stock.

The cheek rest 12 includes a shell 14 having a pair of symmetrically disposed sloped side portions 22 extending outwardly and downwardly from a curved center portion 20. In the depicted embodiment, the curved center portion 20 is relatively short compared with the sloped side portions 22, the side portions 22 extending adjacent to and forwardly from the center portion 20 along the butt stock.

A storage compartment 24 is suspended at a lower end of each of the side portions 22. In the depicted embodiment, the storage compartments 24 are each generally in the shape of a hollow cylinder extending frontward to rearward along the cheek rest and having at least one open end. In one variation, a rear end 26 of each storage compartment 24 is open. In another variation, a front end 25 of each storage compartment 24 is open. In yet another variation, both the front end 25 and the rear end 26 of each storage compartment 24 are open.

A mounting block 28 extends inwardly at the lower end of each of the side portions 22 for mounting the cheek rest 12 to a butt stock. The downward and outward slope of the side portions 22 places the lower ends of the side portions 22 far enough from the butt stock that the storage compartments 24 can fit on either side of the butt stock. The mounting blocks 28 may be integrally formed with the respective side portions 22, or may be formed separately and then affixed to the side portions 22.

In the depicted embodiment, the rear end 26 of each storage compartment 24 is open to allow for insertion and removal of a storage sleeve 40. When the storage compartments 24 are generally cylindrical in shape, the storage sleeves 40 are similarly generally cylindrical in shape so that a storage sleeve 40 fits snugly within each storage compartment 24.

An exemplary embodiment of a storage sleeve 40 is shown in FIG. 1A. The storage sleeve 40 includes a partially cutaway tube 42 and dividers 46 that form a series of chambers 44. Each chamber 44 may be sized to hold specific accessories, for example batteries that are used in tactical lights and optics (including but not limited to 123A lithium batteries). The storage sleeve 40 includes a rear end tab 48 that provides a gripping surface for removing the storage sleeve 40 from the storage compartment 24 and creates a watertight seal with the walls of the storage compartment 24 when the storage sleeve 40 is fully inserted. When the storage sleeve 40 is used to storage batteries, the dividers 46 provide a dielectric barrier to prevent batteries in adjacent chambers 44 from being in electrical contact with one another.

To enable the cheek rest 12 to be mounted to various butt stocks having different contours, separate anchor blocks 120, 140 may be provided, as shown most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5. A first anchor block 120 is configured to be mounted, via bolts, clips, or other mechanical fasteners, to one of the mounting blocks 28 in a position between the one mounting block 28 and the butt stock. The first anchor block 120 is further configured to be mounted, via bolts, clips, or other mechanical fasteners, to the butt stock. In the depicted embodiment, the first anchor block 120 includes a sling bushing that can be used for quickly attaching or releasing an accessory. A second anchor block 140 is configured to be mounted, via bolts, clips, or other mechanical fasteners, to the other of the mounting blocks 28 in a position between the other mounting block 28 and the butt stock. The second anchor block 140 is further configured to be mounted, via bolts, clips, or other mechanical fasteners, to the butt stock. In the depicted embodiment, the second anchor block 140 includes a slot that can be used for attaching a sling bushing.

Although described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that additions, deletions, modifications, and substitutions not specifically described may be made without department from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

1. A cheek rest assembly for mounting on a firearm butt stock, comprising: a cheek rest having a center portion and a pair of side portions, each side portion sloping downwardly and outwardly on opposite sides from the center portion; a pair of elongate storage compartments, each storage compartment being suspended from a lower end of one of the side portions and extending along at last a portion of the side portion; and at least one storage sleeve configured to be removably inserted into either of the storage compartments such that when the storage sleeve is fully inserted into the storage compartment, a watertight seal is formed to protect stored contents within the storage compartment.
 2. The cheek rest assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the storage compartments is a hollow cylinder having at least one open end to enable insertion and removal of the storage sleeve.
 3. The cheek rest assembly of claim 2, wherein the storage sleeve includes at least one chamber configured to hold one or more batteries.
 4. The cheek rest assembly of claim 3, comprising a storage sleeve corresponding to each storage compartment, wherein each storage sleeve includes three chambers configured to hold two or more batteries end-to-end while preventing the batteries from making electrical contact with one another.
 5. The cheek rest assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pair of mounting blocks for securing the cheek rest to a butt stock, a mounting block extending inwardly and downwardly from each side portion of the cheek rest.
 6. The cheek rest assembly of claim 5, wherein the mounting blocks are integrally formed with the cheek rest.
 7. The cheek rest assembly of claim 5, further comprising: a first anchor block configured to be secured to one of the mounting blocks in a position between one of the mounting blocks and the butt stock; and a second anchor block configured to be secured to the other of the mounting blocks in a position between the other of the mounting blocks and the butt stock; wherein the first and second anchor blocks are configured to be secured to the butt stock.
 8. The cheek rest assembly of claim 7, wherein one of the first and second anchor blocks includes a sling bushing.
 9. The cheek rest assembly of claim 7, wherein one of the first and second anchor blocks includes a slot for securing a sling bushing.
 10. A cheek rest assembly for mounting on a firearm butt stock, comprising: a cheek rest having a center portion and a pair of side portions, each side portion sloping downwardly and outwardly on opposite sides from the center portion; a pair of mounting blocks for securing the cheek rest to a butt stock, a mounting block extending inwardly and downwardly from each side portion of the cheek rest; a pair of hollow cylindrical storage compartments, each storage compartment being suspended from a lower end of one of the side portions and extending along at last a portion of the side portion, each storage compartment have at least one open end; and a pair of storage sleeves for holding two or more batteries end-to-end while preventing the batteries from making electrical contact with one another, each storage sleeve being configured to be removably inserted into either of the storage compartments such that when the storage sleeve is fully inserted into the storage compartment, a watertight seal is formed to protect stored contents within the storage compartment.
 11. The cheek rest assembly of claim 10, further comprising: a first anchor block configured to be secured to one of the mounting blocks in a position between one of the mounting blocks and the butt stock; and a second anchor block configured to be secured to the other of the mounting blocks in a position between the other of the mounting blocks and the butt stock; wherein the first and second anchor blocks are configured to be secured to the butt stock. 